The evolution of wireless communication to fifth generation (5G) standards and technologies provides higher data rates and greater capacity, with improved reliability and lower latency, which enhances mobile broadband services. 5G technologies also enable new classes of services for vehicular networking, fixed wireless broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
A unified air interface, which utilizes licensed, unlicensed, and shared license radio spectrum in multiple frequency bands is one aspect of enabling the capabilities of 5G systems. The 5G air interface utilizes radio spectrum in bands below 1 GHz (sub-gigahertz), below 6 GHz (sub-6 GHz), and above 6 GHz. Radio spectrum above 6 GHz includes millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency bands that provide wide channel bandwidths to support higher data rates for wireless broadband.
The increased radio spectrum for 5G systems provides wider bandwidth for access by user devices and also provides sufficient bandwidth to support backhaul between 5G base stations. However, providing flexible access and backhaul creates new link management issues to configure and reconfigure wireless backhaul as channel conditions and traffic conditions change.